by S M Mala
Sophie asked, looking around in the park. ‘Jonah, have you seen her?’
She had lost sight of her for a few seconds while she filled him in regarding the court appearance Fadwa attended that day.
It was harrowing as well as upsetting for everyone involved, and it was stuck in her head. But they treated Fadwa with respect and it was evident it was all done in self-defence.
Jonah looked on in horror as she explained what had happened.
For a moment, Sophie turned away and now the child couldn’t be seen.
‘She must be hiding,’ he replied and wandered off to look for her. ‘Milly!’
Something didn’t sit right and Sophie felt a sudden panic in her chest. She had dressed Amelia in bright pink that day, as she wanted to look like a pig.
Rushing around, she called her name, again and again.
And she knew, as only a mother’s instinct could, that something was wrong.
‘I can’t see her,’ Jonah said, looking panicked. ‘I asked a few people but there’s no sign.’
Sophie felt like she was going to pass out then found herself screaming, ‘Milly! Milly! Where are you?’
Jonah immediately rang the police and Sophie went blank.
One minute her baby was there and the next, gone.
The hysterical feeling in her body started to rush through her veins as she ran around, shouting Amelia’s name. Searching high and low, she sprinted, hunting for her small child.
‘Calm down!’ Jonah said, holding her by the shoulders.
‘Don’t tell me to calm down!’ she screamed. ‘My baby’s not here! Where’s Milly? Where’s my child?’
She shoved him away and ran around helplessly, seeing the other parents clutch their children, scared they would lose them too. Her head was spinning and she could hear her heart beat vibrate through her ears. Her breath was getting heavier and there was a numb silence.
Then everything went blank.
‘Sophie,’ Jonah said, as she noticed he was peering down at her. ‘You fainted.’
She forgot for a second before gasping out, ‘Where’s Milly? Have you found her?’
‘The police are coming. Everyone is looking.’
Jumping up to her feet, and nearly keeling over, she started to run again, but this time, Jonah grabbed her by the waist.
‘I must find her. I’ve not seen her! Where’s my baby!’ she shouted, getting more and more hysterical. It was the last thing she wanted, but the panic was too strong. ‘Anything could have happened to her! She doesn’t wander off! Milly knows she’s not allowed to-.’ Sophie started to sob, and couldn’t see a thing for the tears coming to her eyes. ‘Someone’s taken my baby! I know they have!’
And she was left with a heavy feeling of dread.
‘She’s two next month.’
Jonah was trying his hardest to be calm as he watched Sophie crumble. She was being comforted by a mother she knew from a playgroup while sitting on the bench sobbing her heart out. ‘Milly’s dressed head to toe in pink and she’s little for her age.’
Trying hard not to cry from the sheer panic, he spoke to the police officer and realised he would have to take control.
‘Has she gone off before?’ the woman officer asked, looking sympathetically at him.
‘Never,’ he replied and heard complete strangers calling out her name. ‘What can we do?’
‘We’ve got a picture of her from what she was wearing this morning, which is helpful,’ she replied, looking at her tablet. ‘Everyone is looking for her. I think it’s best you care for your wife and take her home.’
‘I can’t leave until we’ve found her.’
‘Usually we find the child in a few hours,’ she replied calmly. ‘We’ll soon have Milly back.’
Composing himself, he now needed to tell Sophie. All the colour had drained from her face, as he grabbed her hand and sat down.
‘I gave them a picture of Milly from this morning and she will be found,’ he calmly said, and he watched the female stranger sitting next to Sophie nod, stand and walk away. ‘We should go home.’
‘I let my child get taken,’ she said, full of despair. ‘I saw her one moment and the next she was gone. What if they hurt her? What if…’ Sophie looked ashen. ‘This is my fault for not concentrating enough, taking my eye off the ball. My head has been full of everything else and not on her. I’m never letting her out of my sight again. I’m a shit mother!’ Then she gulped. ‘What if I never see her again?’
He felt physically sick at the idea of anyone hurting his child, but knew even muttering the words ‘it’ll be all right’ would upset Sophie even more.
‘We will find Milly and bring her home,’ he said, stroking her face. ‘I swear on my life; that’s what’s going to happen.’
Getting her to stand, he put his arm around her waist, worried she was going to pass out again. Slowly they walked back to the house and he noticed she was clutching something. It was Amelia’s soft toy, a pig, she usually came out with. Sophie was holding it because Amelia decided she didn’t want it to get dirty.
He couldn’t find the words to comfort his wife.
There was nothing he could say.
Making her sit on the sofa, and feeling her body shake, he got a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. His phone was continually ringing, so he walked away and answered it.
‘Hello there,’ Harry cheerfully said. ‘I think we need to talk.’
‘Not right now,’ he replied, knowing he hadn’t spoken to him for days after he told him of his plans. ‘It’s not a good time.’
‘Why not?’
Jonah was in a difficult situation and didn’t know if he should say anything, but the man was Amelia’s biological father.
‘Milly went missing in the park half an hour ago. We’ve called the police and everyone is out looking for her,’ he said, but this time, a sob came out and he couldn’t stop from crying.
‘Oh my God,’ Harry responded. ‘How’s Sophie?’
‘A mess,’ he replied, trying not to cry. ‘Milly was there one second and gone the next.’
‘And you said the police are involved?’
‘She’s only little,’ replied Jonah, hoping Sophie couldn’t hear. ‘Anyone could have taken her.’
‘Okay. Is there anything I can do?’
‘I don’t know,’ sobbed Jonah. ‘I really don’t know.’
‘It’s been an hour.’
Sophie stared at the clock and was tightly holding onto her phone. ‘Has anyone called?’
She knew she had asked him again and again.
But that’s all she could do, was to sit and wait.
Each minute that passed, she feared for her child.
All the bad things going through her head made Sophie scared she would never see Amelia again.
Jonah was holding onto her other hand, not saying anything but staring at her then at his phone.
There was an eerie silence in their home.
It was the missing sound of Amelia.
‘They hurt children, you know. Paedophiles,’ she said and watched Jonah’s horrified face turn to look at her. ‘Use them, then kill the child.’
‘Sophie, please don’t say that.’
‘Always on the outlook, looking for children they can take and hurt. And she’s so beautiful. They will hurt her. I know it. And if I ever find them, I will kill them with my bare hands.’
She felt her body shake and wanted to throw up.
Running to the toilet, she vomited into the toilet bowl while sobbing.
For the first time, she felt completely useless and at a loss on what to do.
When she walked out, she noticed a figure standing at the door with Jonah.
To her horror, it was Harry.
He rushed towards her.
‘Before you say anything, she is my child. I need to do something. Let me help, Sophie.’
And that’s when she saw it for the first time; Amelia’s slight resemblance to him.
‘I’m coming right now.’
Jonah was talking to Ross and it was nearly three hours Amelia hadn’t been seen. The police had come to speak to him some more, but he was still reeling from the shock of seeing Sophie in Harry’s arms. ‘And you say Harry’s there?’
‘Sophie is currently being comforted by him,’ he said, feeling left out but still anxious. ‘This isn’t what I would have expected to see. Harry being kind to Sophie.’
‘Don’t you think that’s a coincidence considering he never usually gives a shit about his daughter, only himself?’
‘It’s his daughter, as he pointed out to the police. What are you trying to say?’
‘It doesn’t sit right that’s all. They’ll find her.’
‘What if they don’t and she’s been hurt?’ Again he felt the large sob coming to his throat. ‘It would kill us. I know it would.’
He watched Harry speaking to Sophie and a woman police officer was close by, also giving comfort. Now and again, Sophie would look at Jonah in utter disbelief, and he couldn’t fathom what was going on in her head.
There was a sinking feeling that only Harry could comfort her.
He felt impotent in his support, making the whole wait more agonising.
Somehow, Harry managed to coax Sophie to go to bed and lie down, with the help of the police officer.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked Jonah, who didn’t know what to say. ‘She’s in a state. I’ve never seen her like that before.’
Jonah couldn’t reply.
It crossed his mind whether he should ask Harry if he was okay, then thought twice.
He hadn’t laid eyes on Amelia since the night he hit Sophie.
‘Why did you come?’ he asked Harry, who seemed shocked by the question.
‘Because she is my child and has gone missing. My ex-wife needs some support and so do you, who I count on as a friend, business aside.’ He touched Jonah’s arm. ‘No matter what you think of me, and the things I’ve said in the past, I would never want anything bad to happen to Amelia. I know Sophie loves her with all her heart.’
Right then, Jonah realised that he was the man he liked when they first met.
The sincere Harry James; not the scheming philanderer one.
‘I appreciate it,’ replied Jonah, putting his hand on his shoulder. ‘Thank you.’
‘You look in need of a drink,’ whispered Harry, glancing at the police officer take a call.
‘I need to keep a clear head.’
‘I’m here, so you’ve got another head to rely on.’
‘Mr Bauer and Mr James,’ the officer said, walking towards them in an anxious rush. ‘They think they’ve spotted Milly in a car.’
‘What?’ Jonah said, his heart pounding hard in his chest, he thought he was going to be sick. ‘Where is she?’
‘They’re following it right now. It might be something or nothing, but it’s not too far away.’
‘I’ve got to tell Sophie!’
‘Don’t,’ Harry said, putting a hand on his arm, seeming unsure about the information. ‘Just in case it’s wrong, you don’t want to give her hope.’ He looked at the police officer. ‘Officer, do you know where this car was seen?’
‘North west of here. We’ve got people on top of it.’
‘I hope it’s her,’ Jonah said, his hands starting to shake. Then he turned to Harry. ‘I love that little girl as if she’s my own. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.’
Harry grabbed him, giving a firm hug and Jonah wanted to cry his heart out at the kindness being received. The next thing, he was being led to the sofa and Harry sat him down.
‘It’s okay,’ he said gently to Jonah, holding his shoulder. ‘They’re going to find her.’
Exhaustedly, he buried his head in his hands, unable to think of what to do next.
‘Sophie, wake up.’
She hadn’t been sleeping.
All she did was lie there, her eyes focussed on the wall while holding tightly onto Amelia’s soft toy.
Now she was met with a pair of extremely red-rimmed eyes looking at her.
Her heart sank on seeing Jonah’s face and she feared for the worse.
‘Please don’t tell me something bad, please don’t,’ she begged, starting to cry. ‘Not about my baby.’
‘They think they’ve found her,’ he whispered, looking like he had a problem breathing. ‘We’re not sure but the description matches.’
‘Where?’ she said and sat up immediately. ‘Where is she? I have to go to her.’ Sophie scrambled about as he held her arms. ‘We have to leave now.’
‘Slow down,’ he said calmly as she wanted to scream at him. ‘Listen to me.’
‘I want to go!’ she said, raising her voice, never doing so before at Jonah. ‘Please?’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’
Taking her hand, he walked her out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
Sophie felt wobbly on her feet and held onto him for dear life.
To her surprise, Harry was sitting on the sofa along with Ross, who stood as soon as he saw her.
‘Hey,’ Ross said, coming forward and giving her a hug. ‘We’ll find her.’
All Sophie could do was nod as she sat down in the armchair. Unable to speak, she wrapped her arms around her body, hoping her child would come home soon.
‘I should be out there, looking for her,’ she mumbled, unable to focus on anyone.
All four sat in silence, waiting, along with the police officer who was constantly checking her phone.
Then they heard a car drive up and stop outside the house.
Sophie got to her feet, as did everyone in the room, while Jonah rushed to the door, flinging it open, and rushing out.
‘Dada!’ she heard Amelia scream out, before starting to cry. Sophie ran barefoot out onto the pathway to see her child in the arms of a police officer. ‘Mama!’
‘Milly!’ Sophie said, grabbing her and hugging her sobbing child. ‘Oh my God! You had me so worried.’ She kissed her daughter frantically, seeing her baby was quite distressed. ‘Are you all right?’
‘The piggy go oink, oink and the car fast!’ she wailed out, sobbing louder, making Sophie cry at the same time. ‘Mama! Mama!’
‘Is she all right? Did they hurt her? Does she need to go to the hospital?’ she anxiously asked the policeman, examining her baby’s face. ‘I love you so much, Milly, so very much.’
‘She’s fine,’ the man said, looking happily at her. ‘Milly is a little chatterbox and wasn’t upset until she knew she was going to see you.’
‘I love you,’ she said, holding her baby in her arms, smelling her hair and wanting never to let go.
‘Dada!’ Amelia said, stretching her arms out. ‘Dada!’
Jonah hugged the pair of them and then started to cry, making Sophie realise that if anything happened to her child, she would never have forgiven herself.
Walking slowly back in, she held onto Amelia, wiping her tears with a sleeve.
‘You’re home and safe,’ she exhaustedly said.
Then Sophie remembered who was in the living room.
Harry looked stunned on seeing the child and at one point, Sophie thought he was going to run out.
Clapping his hands, Ross laughed and walked towards them.
‘You, Amelia, nearly gave me a heart attack!’ he said, kissing her forehead. ‘Just like a woman, always giving us guys the run around.’
Sophie couldn’t take her eyes away from Harry. He looked lost on what to do as Amelia was hugging her mum and sniffling into her neck. Then she looked at Jonah, who seemed equally confused at the situation.
‘This is Harry,’ Ross said, glancing at him then back at Amelia, who was blinking away her tears. ‘Your daddy works with this man and he was worried about you. Say hello.’
�
��Hello,’ Amelia said, pulling away. ‘Me Milly.’
Sophie looked at her child and wondered if she knew that was her real daddy.
Just then, she noticed the panic in Jonah’s eyes.
‘Go to daddy,’ Sophie said, handing her over to Jonah and seeing the little girl’s look of delight. ‘I think you need a nice bubble bath.’ She then turned to the police officers looking on. ‘Thank you so much. Can you tell us what happened?’
‘I should go,’ Harry said, getting extremely uncomfortable. ‘You need to be alone.’
Without a second glance, he walked out, leaving everyone speechless. When she saw Ross, he was rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
It was then she noticed Jonah seemed upset, knowing Harry’s appearance would create more trouble for them.
She realised that since, suddenly out of the blue, he walked into their home that day.
Sophie knew Harry was up to something.
‘She’s fine.’
Sophie was in Amelia’s room, staring at her sleeping child as Jonah watched. ‘Not a scratch.’
He had felt uncomfortable all evening, even after Ross plied him with half a bottle of red wine. The idea that Harry held Sophie, then managed to see his daughter, put him on edge.
‘Jonah,’ she said, turning to face him. ‘Are you okay? You were brilliant today, better than I could ever have been. I don’t know how I would have coped alone.’
‘You weren’t,’ he said, then couldn’t stop himself. ‘Her dad turned up. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.’ Walking towards him, she frowned. ‘And he didn’t even want to look at her.’
‘You’re her dad, not him. Not now, or ever.’
‘You say that but-.’
‘But what? We had a horrible scare today, one that I never want to go through again. My focus hasn’t been on what matters. It has been on getting angry with Harry and trying to sort out other people’s lives. I sometimes forget there are two other people more important than anything.’ She led him into their bedroom. ‘What’s bugging you?’
‘Nothing,’ he replied, shrugging his shoulders. ‘The police are coming tomorrow and they can tell us more.’
‘Jonah?’